Hot, dry spell and leaking pipes raise long term concerns
It is undeniable that the British weather this year has been unusually warm, with May, June and July this year setting new temperature records across the UK and rainfalls of less than 1mm across all of England during July. The heatwave is predicted to continue until the autumn, causing the bookmaker Coral to slash its odds on the 2018 being the hottest year on record.
The water industry will be well aware there is a downside to this dry, sunny weather. Concerns are growing over a looming drought and potential for temporary use bans or ‘hosepipe bans’ across the country. We have already seen the first of these bans announced which will be implemented in the North West of England in August. This may pose a long-term threat to consumers and the simple act of turning on the tap that we all take for granted.
Is asking consumers to cut water usage the solution?
It would seem the obvious answer and is certainly an important part of the solution, especially as every single person in the UK uses an average of 104 litres of water over 24 hours. In addition to increased consumption, the UK network is currently losing as much as three billion litres of water every day through leaking pipes. The good news is water companies are making substantial investments in upgrading and improving networks and there are targets in place to reduce leakage levels over time.
Nonetheless, with the UK population set to rise by around three million in the next eight years, more than 300 million litres will likely be added to the daily demand on an already lessening resource by 2026. It is predicted that by 2050, the country is at a high risk of prolonged drought. According to the Committee on Climate Change, nationally we will be falling up to 16 percent short of demand by then.
Preparedness is the key for commercial consumers
The challenge for commercial water consumers is to reduce unnecessary usage, while maintaining core activity and protecting revenue, profitability and investment.
Since the deregulation of the water market, water retailers are offering added value services such as leak detection and water audits to help non-household customers reduce unnecessary consumption.
At Water Direct we understand that regardless of the size or nature of your business premises, an interruption to water supply can have significant commercial impact.
We work in partnership with the national water retailers to provide contingency planning services to commercial consumers, but did you know we also regularly provide planned support to meet peak demand and reduced supply?
So far during July we’ve provided support to prestigious sporting events for pitch irrigation, boosted supply to agricultural premises, and delivered additional drinking water for thirsty livestock.
Read our case study to see how planned bulk water deliveries from Water Direct protected significant investment in a central London commercial landscaping installation.
If you would like to discuss putting alternative water supply provisions in place, don’t hesitate to call our team anytime on 0345 345 1725 or email enquiries@water-direct.co.uk